The present invention relates to an optical connector for connecting an optical fiber to a connection counterpart.
One example of an optical connector of this type is disclosed in JP-A-H9-43453. The optical connector comprises a housing retaining an optical fiber, and a U-shaped retaining member receiving the housing therein. The housing is biased by a spring relative to the retaining member in a connecting direction of the optical fiber. The housing is prevented from being detached from the retaining member by a retaining mechanism.
Following the recent remarkable progress in optical transmission technology, there have been required small multicore optical connectors that enable connection of multiple optical fibers. For configuring the optical connector to have a multicore structure, it was conventionally necessary to provide as many optical connectors as the number of cores. This causes the optical connector to be large on the whole and complicates assembling thereof.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an optical connector that enables a multicore structure thereof by utilizing a space efficiently.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an optical connector that is easy to assemble.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an optical connector having a structure for preventing misfitting.
Other objects of the present invention will become clear as the description proceeds.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical connector for connecting an optical fiber to a connection counterpart in a first direction. The optical connector comprises a housing for holding the optical fiber, the housing having a pair of main side surfaces confronting each other in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a pair of auxiliary side surfaces confronting each other in a third direction perpendicular to the first and the second direction, an engaging member slidable relative to the housing in the first direction, and a biasing member coupled to the housing and the engaging member for biasing the housing and the engaging member mutually opposite in the first direction. In the optical connector, the engaging member comprises a pair of engaging strips each extending along a corresponding one of the main side surfaces in the first direction and engaging with the corresponding one in a direction against the biasing member, a spring strip extending along one of the auxiliary side surfaces in the first direction while being spaced apart therefrom, and being elastically deformable in the third direction, and an outer retaining member joined with the spring strip for retaining another member in the first direction.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical connector for connecting an optical fiber to a connection counterpart in a first direction. The optical connector comprises a plurality of aligned optical connector elements and a first housing fitted over the optical connector elements collectively. In the optical connector, each of said optical connector elements comprises a second housing for retaining the optical fiber, the second housing having a pair of main side surfaces opposite to each other in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a pair of auxiliary side surfaces opposite to each other in a third direction perpendicular to the first and the second directions, an engaging member slidable relative to the second housing in the first direction, and a biasing member coupled to the second housing and the engaging member for biasing the second housing and the engaging member mutually opposite in the first direction. The engaging member comprises a pair of engaging strips each extending along a corresponding one of the main side surfaces in the first direction and engaging with the corresponding one of the main side surfaces in a direction against the biasing member, a spring strip extending along one of the auxiliary side surfaces in the first direction while being spaced apart therefrom, and being elastically deformable in the third direction, and an outer retaining member joined with the spring strip for retaining another member in the first direction.